Stand up and play for a good cause

DISABILITY organisation genU will host a charity golf day in Torquay to celebrate the arrival of a new golf machine helping golfers with a disability to reconnect with the game they love.

Entries are now open for the Transport Accident Commission-sponsored Stand Up and Play Golf Day at The Sands next month.

The event will raise money towards the purchase of a ParaGolfer machine, which raises the player to a standing position, allowing for a more conventional swing.

The ParaGolfer was discovered by James Gribble, who was searching for a way to get back into sports after an accident in 2008 left him a quadriplegic.

Having formed the charity Empower Golf, Mr Gribble has now pioneered the use of ParaGolfers in Australia.

“The ParaGolfer is an all-terrain revolutionary mobility device which manoeuvres individuals into the standing position to replicate the full golfing experience, whether accessing most bunkers or putting greens,” he said.

“Golf is the only sport with the unique handicap system, which allows individuals to enjoy and compete irrespective of age, gender or ability.

“It delivers physical, mental and psychological benefits as well as a sense of community which is key for overall health and quality of life. It is also, arguably, the only lifelong sport.

“I recently had an individual, who had been wheelchair-bound for over 20 years, in tears after his first session in the ParaGolfer. Not only was he standing upright again after all that time but returning to his favourite sport, one he thought he had lost forever.”

He said he was thrilled that a ParaGolfer would soon be available to use within the local region.

“Making a ParaGolfer available in the Geelong and wider region will be simply life changing for those who have the opportunity to use it, whether it’s with friends and family, colleagues or establishing new social groups.”

Stand Up and Play will be held at The Sands on May 11. Entry is $150, and includes green fees, golf cart, lunch and dinner.

Head to genu.org.au/event/stand-play-charity-golf-day.